42 Shoe Lane Erith was awarded the demolition of both the Fleet and Plumtree Court buildings located on Farringdon Street, London. Employed as Principal Contractor, our core scope was to deliver the strip-out, asbestos removal and structural demolition of both buildings to the top of the basement slab level. Plumtree Court - constructed in the 1980s, the 9 storey building formed the parameters of a central courtyard. The ‘U-shaped’ structure was of reinforced concrete construction and consisted of a single level basement and raft foundation which occupied three UKPN substations. The Fleet Building - constructed in the 1950s, the reinforced concrete framed building consisted of 7 storeys and a 13 storey tower with a 2 storey basement. Part of the basement occupied a BT chamber and cable shaft rising from the underlying tunnel and access lift shaft which linked the tunnel network. The demolition scheme itself occupied a 10,370m² footprint and was situated in the heart of London. Plumtree Court occupied 3 substations which remained fully operational throughout the life of the contract. To prevent any disruption to the existing electrical transmission on-site, Erith constructed a number of protection decks to maintain safe access and protect the existing substation. All substations were waterproofed using a sealed torch and felt to ensure complete water tightness. The Fleet Building was once a British Telecom switching station used to route call traffic throughout London. A substantial cable-way, vertical shaft and separate lift shaft linking to tunnels beneath the site were present within the existing basement of the Fleet Building. The cable chamber and shafts remained active over the course of the demolition operation. All cables and shafts were also waterproofed using a sealed torch. Both structures were encapsulated with flame-retardant monarflex sheeting to ensure dust and noise were enveloped within the fabric of the building. Materials and smaller plant were transported via the use of a 2,000kg goods hoist, with a larger demolition plant used for structural demolition transported via 2no tower cranes deployed on-site. The demolition was carried out using the top-down method where 12-tonne 360º excavators were lifted to the highest point by crane. The building was then systematically taken adopting the top-down demolition technique. The demolition arisings were deposited down well holes positioned across the site which was cordoned off utilising appropriate signage and scaffold hand-rails in accordance with Working at Height Regulations 2007. The well holes were positioned internally at courtyard elevations. Rebar was processed using oxy-propane gas cutting equipment under a hot works permit to ensure appropriate material segregation and recycling. Demolition